30 best paint colors for small bathrooms in 2023

The right paint color and application can absolutely make a small bathroom seem bigger.

In today’s post I’m highlighting my top paint colors for small bathrooms, plus tips on how to select the right color and my secret tip that instantly enlarges tiny bathrooms.

Best paint colors for small bathrooms

Below I’ve included unedited photos of real paint samples of all colors in natural light. This is exactly how you should test your paint colors!

Sherwin Williams Sea Salt

Sherwin Williams Sea Salt has been a popular paint color for small bathrooms for yeas and years, as the spa-like feel Sea Salt exudes is ultra popular for a bathroom. Sea Salt is technically a blue-green hue, so at times the color will appear more green or blue depending on lighting and time of day.

With an LRV of 63, Sea Salt is considered a light paint color. Make sure you test out Sea Salt, as colors that are combinations of colors, like a blue-green can greatly change based on the natural light you have in your room.

Compared to many blue greens, Sea Salt has more green than blue.

Sherwin Williams Debonair

Blue is always a popular choice for small space bathrooms, and Sherwin Williams Debonair is a pretty choice. A medium-dark paint color, Debonair’s LRV is 34. Debonair definitely has hints of gray to it, which works to soften this darker blue hue.

This color will get substantially darker in bathrooms without natural light, so just be aware of that.

Sherwin Wiliams Stardew

If Debonair is too dark for your space, try Sherwin Williams Stardew. This medium-depth paint color is a pretty blue with gray undertones, giving it a slate-like appearance.

With an LRV of 43 it’s an excellent choice for small powder rooms.

Sherwin Williams Opaline

Sherwin Williams Opaline is one of the lightest blue-green colors on the market today. Opaline favors more green than blue. With an LRV of 73, this color can almost appear white when you look at in isolation.

Because this color is so light, make sure to pair it with a cool white or true white trim color. Most off-white trim colors will be too creamy for this pretty color.

Benjamin Moore Whirlpool

A barely-there blue, softened by a gray undertone makes Benjamin Moore Whirlpool a pretty choice for a tiny bathroom.

Although Benjamin Moore describes this paint color as a white, when you compare it to actual white paint colors, you’ll see it’s anything but that. It’s LRV is 74, which is also way too low to be considered a white, as most off whites have at least an 81 LRV.

Benjamin Moore Glass Slipper

A little bit more saturated than Whirlpool and less of a gray undertone than Whirlpool, Glass Slipper is a light and airy blue bathroom wall color, perfect for smaller spaces.

With an LRV of 70, this lighter color works great with white or gray tile and porcelain or marble countertops.

Benjamin Moore Boothbay Gray

Ben Moore Boothbay Gray is a dark gray paint color with a serious blue undertone. This color comes across more like a slate blue than a gray, but it’s still a beautiful choice for a small powder room.

Sherwin Williams Tradewind

A pretty, light blue softened with just a hint of green make Sherwin Wililams Tradewind a soothing color, perfect for small bathrooms. This color looks best with cool or true white trim colors.

Sherwin Williams Silverstrand

A pretty blue green color with a gray undertone, SW Silver Strand is a muted color. With more gray than some other popular blue greens, like Sea Salt, this color works well for those looking for a more neutral type of color.

Sherwin Williams Pearl Gray

Pearl Gray is a pale blue green with the slightest hint of a gray undertone. Compared to other blue greens, Pearl Gray has more green than blue. The LRV of Pearl Gray is 61, making this a light paint color.

Sherwin Williams Rainwashed

Rainwashed is another pretty blend of blue and green, that tends to lean a little more green than blue. This color is another color I would classify as an “almost light” color as it’s close, but still has a good bit more pigmentation than true light colors.

Sherwin Williams Palladian Blue

Palladian Blue is one of the most popular bathroom paint colors as it really just envokes that calming spa-like feeling you want to create in a bathroom. The LRV of this color is 60, and it tends to lean in more to the green side of the blue-green.

Sherwin Williams Waterloo

Yes, you can put darker colors in bathrooms and SW Waterloo proves my point! Waterloo is a highly-saturated blue-green with an LRV of 13, making it the darkest color on my list.

I would strongly suggest wrapping this paint color on the ceiling too, to help make a smaller bathroom appear larger.

Benjamin Moore Quiet Moments

BM Quiet Moments is a pretty blue green that leans just a little more towards the blue side of things. I would consider this color almost a light color, but not quite, as it’s got just a little bit more saturation than lighter colors.

Benjamin Moore White Dove

One of my personal favorite soft white colors is Benjamin Moore White Dove. As you can see below, we used it in our white modern farmhouse bathroom. This is a soft white paint color with a greige undertone that isn’t stark white, but isn’t too creamy, either.

Benjamin Moore Simply White

Simply White is technically an off-white, but it’s one of the cleanest off whites there is. With just a dab of creaminess to its name, you won’t notice the yellow or even greige undertones you typically see with a lot of off whites.

Sherwin Williams Alabaster

If creamy white is what you’re after, SW Alabaster is a good start. One of the most creamy off-whites that I recommend, Alabaster looks stunning in a small powder room. With an LRV of 82, Alabaster is fairly light without creeping into the stark white territory.

This color does have a good bit of a yellow undertone to it, so if you don’t like that when you sample, White Dove should solve your problems.

Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray

Ben Moore Wickham Gray is easily one of my favorite neutral colors. This is a gray paint color with blue and green undertones.

I love grays that have blue and green undertones, as they are pretty versatile with a lot of decor and the green undertone in this color works to warm up the cooler gray tone.

With an LRV of 69, Wickham Gray will work well for those tiny windowless bathrooms.

Benjamin Moore Gray Cashmere

Another gray with blue-green undertones is Ben Moore Gray Cashmere. This tone is a little bit deeper than Wickham Gray with an LRV of 64, and there’s just a hint more green than blue, making it more of a softer color when compared to Wickham Gray.

Benjamin Moore Pale Oak

Pale Oak is a taupe paint color. Taupes have purple or pink undertones and Pale Oak has a soft pink undertone. The LRV of this color is 70, meaning it’s a light color.

Benjamin Moore Egret White

Egret White is anything but white; in fact, it’s actually a taupe greige with a violet undertone. This color is light and airy with an LRV of 70.

Benjamin Moore Navajo White

The perfect soothing color powder room, Navajo White is a pale cream tone with a slight orange undertone.

Benjamin Moore Saybrook Sage

Ben Moore Saybrook Sage is just your quintessential sage color, which naturally invokes that calming feeling so many are after when decorating a bathroom. This medium-depth paint color is softened with a gray undertone and looks pretty with creamier whites, navy and smoky blue-greys.

Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray

SW Agreeable Gray is a popular greige paint color that works well with many bathroom color schemes. You do need to be aware of its green undertone, when pairing Agreeable Gray with tile, as it doesn’t work in all situations.

This color looks great with muted blues and greens and also works well in bathroom with classic black tile. Its LRV is 60, so it’s pretty close to what I would classify as a light paint color. If you definitely wanted a lighter color for your bathroom look for colors with an LRV of 65 and up.

Sherwin Williams Mindful Gray

If you like the idea of Agreeable Gray, but want something a bit more dramatic and pigmented, try SW Mindful Gray.

This medium-depth paint color has an LRV of 48 and looks stunning when paired with classic white subway tile, gold or black hardware and warm wooden tones.

Mindful Gray has a green undertone.

Benjamin Moore Classic Gray

One of the palest grays on the market Ben Moore Classic Gray is technically a greige color with a green undertone. With an LRV of 75, it’s very, very close to a lot of off-white tones in terms of light depth, but it’s got just a bit of pigment to keep things interesting.

If you want something that feels light and airy but don’t want an off-white and your fixed elements work well with a greige tone with green undertones (many creamy quartz colors would pair nicely with this) give this one a try!

Sherwin Williams Shoji White

Unlike the name implies, Shoji White is actually a pale cream color. This light color has green undertones and is a perfect compliment to a beige/cream tile or bathroom floor.

Sherwin Williams Feather Down

A pale cream with green undertones makes Feather Down a great choice for bathrooms where a lighter color is desired.

Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist

Balboa Mist is a warm greige color with purple undertones. This light color is perfect for powder rooms.

My best tips on choosing a paint color for a small bathroom

In the video below I’ll highlight my three best tips for choosing the right neutral or saturated color for your space, my secret tip to make your bathroom appear large and I’ll even review my top colors and do some side-by-side comparisons!

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